


Royally Mad

by MisticRays



Category: Mad King - Fandom, Ryan Haywood - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Swearing, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 13:52:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5093162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisticRays/pseuds/MisticRays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan Haywood is many things. The CEO of a company, a billionaire with a mansion and servants and the number one most wanted criminal of the city. The Mad King. He was known for his many robberies and murders and the city feared him. However, all of that changes when he finds a baby orphaned by his own hands. Instead of leaving the child he takes her with him and everything goes downhill from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> I want to try this out. I've been dreaming up this story for a while now, about how the Mad King basically adopts a kid and through different events she becomes his protégée? Protégé? (however you spell it) of sorts. This first chapter is more of a back story, how Ryan found the baby and certain things that lead up to what's going to be in the next chapter. I wanna know what you guys think of this so please PLEASE leave a comment down below. Thanks guy :) Also, it may seem a little weird at first but I had no other way to really write these opening 'scenes' for this story.

Their blood pooled at his feet. Mr. and Mrs. Jones were no more. This is what happens when you double cross a powerful man. If they had just gone through with the deal instead of trying to sell him off to the highest bidder…well tonight would have gone differently. They knew this was coming too. Both of them had hidden weapons at their bedside, waiting for when Ryan came knocking at their door. Oh well. He’d just have to find someone else to work with. Wasn’t that hard. The city was crawling with wannabes these days.

The deal had been simple. He paid them a generous amount in order to have certain items smuggled into the city. Items that were needed for future heists. The Jones’ were known for their smuggling and he believed them trustworthy enough. Unfortunately being the number one most wanted had its…drawbacks. Like how there seemed to be a gigantic target on his back from the other crime lords prowling the dark alleyways and bars. The young couple were offered a higher price for Ryan’s head and they took it.

“And look where it got you,” Ryan said softly. He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out his calling card. It was a gold coin with a broken crown on it. He laid it at the foot of the bed and headed out of the room. He was about to go downstairs when he heard a noise. Crying. A baby’s crying. Puzzled, he followed the noise to a room just down the hall from the main bedroom. Poking his head inside he saw a nursery with a crib in the middle. There was a small bundle wriggling around inside the crib, the cries getting louder by the second. Ryan slowly made his way over and peered down at the small infant. Unsure of what to do, he picked the child up and started to rock his arms back and forth, as he had seen mothers do countless times. The baby seemed calmed by this, its cries slowly dying down until they were just hiccups. Glancing around the room, Ryan saw a name framed on the wall in delicate handwriting.

“Amelia,” he murmured. “I suppose that’s what they called you, hm?” He asked the child quietly. She stared up at him with big blue eyes, the colour reminding him of a clear sky. As he stared at the baby something inside him clicked. He wasn’t sure what it was but suddenly the thought of leaving the girl without a family sickened him. “Well Amelia, I can’t just leave you here can I?” He started going around the room looking for a bag of some sort. He found one in the closet and began filling it with the clothes that were in the small dresser. He then moved to the diapers and wipes. Once the bag was filled he carried it and the baby out to his car. He didn’t have a car seat so he settled for just holding Amelia the whole ride home. It wasn’t like he hadn’t driven one handed before. Cop chases often led to him shooting while driving. Amelia ended up falling back to sleep on the ride up to Ryan’s mansion which sat on the outskirts of town in the cover of trees.

“Mr. Haywood!” His housekeeper, Maria, came rushing to the door. “There is dinner in the kitchen and-oh my. Who is this little one?” Maria cooed as she noticed little Amelia.

“She’s going to be staying with us from now on,” Ryan said quietly, not wanting to wake the child. “Can you go set up a safe sleeping area for her in the guest room? I didn’t have the time to grab the crib.”

“Sir…if you don’t mind me asking,” Maria shuffled on her feet a bit. “Where did you find her?”

“The Jones’ were planning on stabbing me in the back so I paid them a little visit tonight,” Ryan explained. Everyone who worked for him knew of his little adventures and he paid them well to keep their mouths shut. Even at the hint of them going to tell the police and they disappeared. “Sadly I failed to see they had created a child. I couldn’t just leave her there. The orphanages in this city are terrible. So I’ve adopted her.”

“You killed her parents?” Maria whispered in horror.

“I had to. They were going to sell me to Ramsey,” Ryan sighed. “I do not want to be in his hands. Now. Take this bag and go make the bed as baby safe as you can. Tomorrow I’ll send someone to get a proper crib.” Maria just nodded and went to do as she was told. As Ryan waited, he walked into the living room and sat down, carefully cradling Amelia in his arms. When Maria came back down he let her take the baby up to her new room, following so he could inspect the bed. Maria had piled up pillows around a small circle which she laid Amelia in. The baby was already bundled up in a blanket but Maria added another one anyways, just in case. Satisfied with everything, Ryan headed to his own room, wanting to wash away any blood that had gotten on him and go to bed. He had a long day tomorrow.

 

As the years passed, Amelia grew up to be a fine young lady with the help of Maria. Ryan wasn’t around much due to work and his other jobs but Amelia didn’t mind. She had free roam of the house and grounds, although for her younger years someone had to accompany her outside. When Ryan was home, Amelia stuck to him like glue. She’d sit quietly in his study and read while he worked or they’d go for walks out in the garden. When Amelia was old enough Ryan put her in school although she didn’t really click with the other students. She felt left out when it came to them. They always talked about their parents and Amelia didn’t really understand at first. Ryan always insisted she call him Ryan. The other kids had moms and dads. Why didn’t she? So, at the age of eight she decided to ask Maria about it.

She was sitting at the table, Maria serving breakfast. Ryan was already gone for the day.

“Maria?” Amelia spoke up as the housekeeper sat down to join her for breakfast. “Why don’t I have a mom and dad? All the other kids do.” Maria was silent for a moment, emotions flashing across her face rapidly.

“Well…” Maria fought for the right words. “Sometimes children have no moms or dads. Sometimes something happens and the child has to grow up without them.”

“Oh,” Amelia thought for a moment as she ate. “Did you know my parents?”

“No sweetie, I did not,” Maria replied.

“Why would they leave me?” Amelia suddenly asked, tears springing to her eyes. “Was there something wrong with me? Did they not love me?”

“No! No of course not honey,” Maria said, getting up and walking over to Amelia, wrapping her arms around the child. “I’m sure you’re parents loved you very much. These things just happen sometimes. Besides, I think you don’t need parents. You’ve got me to look after you, and Mr. Haywood.”

“Ryan isn’t around all the time though,” Amelia pointed out sadly. Maria brushed some of Amelia’s dark red hair away from her face, trying to soothe the child. She decided that Amelia would stay home that day, which Amelia agreed to quickly. After breakfast, Amelia went to change into some other clothes since the school she went to demanded the kids wear uniforms. And that was the only time Amelia brought up her parents. Maria decided it best not to tell Ryan of what they talked about. She didn’t want to upset him.

Eventually Amelia forgot about her parents, happy with just Ryan, Maria and the other servants. She didn’t really make any friends until she was in high school but she didn’t mind. It wasn’t until she was sixteen that Amelia found out about the Mad King. She had had a nightmare and when she woke up she swore she heard a scream coming from downstairs. Frightened, she made her way to Ryan’s room only to find it empty. Biting her lip, she ventured her way downstairs. A light was shining under the door that led to the basement and, as quietly as she could, Amelia made her way down the steps and into the cellar. It was cold down there, even more so since she was just wearing a tank top and thin pajama pants. The basement was set up in two parts. One held the freezer and shelves for various canned foods and the other part was connected to the first one by a hallway.

Amelia had been told not to go down the hallway but she could hear Ryan’s voice coming from the other room and she wanted to make sure everything was okay. Taking a deep breath, she padded towards where the voices were coming and peeked her head around the corner. There she saw Ryan dressed in a kilt and a suit top with a crown sitting crookedly on his head. Blood covered his hands and a few drops had hit his face, but most of it was on the walls. A man lay at Ryan’s feet whimpering and covered in cuts and bruises. Amelia had gasped, alerting Ryan to her presence. He whipped around, about to yell at whoever dared to interrupt him, when his eyes landed on the girl. She looked terrified and he winced as he realised the amount of blood in the room.

“Amelia, darling, could you go wait in the living room for me please? I won’t be but a moment,” Ryan said softly. Amelia nodded and, almost robotically, headed back upstairs. Ryan sighed and, seeing no further use for the body at his feet, ended the man’s suffering with a bullet to the head. He then went to the small bathroom he had built in down there and washed off any blood he could see. Most of it had been on his hands so he didn’t have to worry too much. With that done he headed upstairs and found Amelia curled up in a ball on the couch, her shoulders shaking slightly.

“Amelia,” Ryan went over to her and knelt down so they were eye level with each other. “I am sorry you had to see that. I wanted to keep that part of my life away from you. I guess I should have known you would have found out sooner or later.”

“I-I don’t understand what I saw down there,” Amelia whispered. “I don’t want to understand it but if I don’t find out then I’ll probably go insane.”

“I…am…well let’s put it this way. You know me as Ryan Haywood. The CEO of a very successful company and the guy who lives a somewhat secluded life outside of town. The cities police force know me as Mad King. The guy who has killed countless people and who has stolen more than a million dollars’ worth of things. I run an organized crime group and it’s made me the number one most wanted.”

“You don’t cover your face,” she said. “Don’t the police know who you look like?”

“Nope,” Ryan shook his head. “I tend to do the quieter things while my…employees are more public. It helps me keep my two lives separate.”

“And the people who work here?”

“They all know,” Ryan replied. “While some of them aren’t exactly happy with it they won’t say anything. Amelia, I need you to keep this to yourself, okay? I know it’s a lot to take in at the moment and your mind is probably running a million miles an hour but…for me. Don’t tell anyone. Even those you trust the most in your life can’t know. There is a high price on my head, from both the police and rival groups. But what I fear most is them finding out about you. These people…they would use you against me. Threaten to torture or even kill you just so they could get to me. I don’t want that to happen to you.”

“I won’t tell anyone.” Amelia promised. Ryan nodded and sent her back up to bed so he could clean up the mess downstairs. He was so happy to know that Amelia wouldn’t run away screaming. He’d really begun to see her as his daughter and he didn’t want to lose the sense of serenity he felt around her. She was the only one who could calm his mind, especially when he lost it to his more insane side. Even as a baby, just her babbling away could easy away an insanity that lingered at the edges of his mind. Without her he would have gone over the edge long ago and if that ever happened…god have mercy on any soul he found.


	2. Trouble Brewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia is now twenty years old and, with her childhood being an odd one, it only makes sense that she's completely normal right? I mean, everybody else has crazy killer guardians right?

“Amelia!” Maria called up the stairs again. “You can’t stay in bed all day! The sun is shining! Go out and have some fun!” I groaned, the comfort of my bed too good to pass up. I was twenty now, with the same dark red hair and crystal blue eyes I had had as a child. It was Saturday and since classes were never on weekends I saw no need to get up. I was going to the local university, taking a designing course that was four years. It was mostly on computers but I had a few actual art classes thrown in.

Sighing, I got up and headed for the shower. Maybe one of my friends was free today. I didn’t want to stay home all day with Maria mother henning me everywhere. I changed into some dark jeans and a blue t-shirt before heading down to the kitchen. Breakfast was waiting for me at the table so I dug right in. Maria was an amazing cook and was even teaching me a thing or two about her recipes.

“So, what are your plans for today?” Maria asked.

“Guess I’ll give my friends a call, see who is free,” I shrugged. “I need to go into town anyways.”

“Okay,” Maria nodded. “Just don’t be back too late tonight. Mr. Haywood is…working late.” Working late translated into him going off and breaking the law in some way. After I got my own car and started going out more he warned me on certain days to not stay out late. It wouldn’t do good to be caught in the crosshairs of a cop chase. Stray bullets and what not.

I wolfed down the rest of my food and went back upstairs to grab my phone. I had only a handful of friends but my best friends were Cody, Ana, Sheekie and Blaine. The five of us had gone through high school together and now were all in the same course at the university. I did a quick group call with them and waited for someone to pick up. Not even two rings later and all four answered.

“Hey guys,” I said. “Who’s free today? I wanna go out.”

“Well I was going to go bug the neighbourhood and demand free cookies but I guess I can do that another day,” Blaine said.

“Sadly I have to take my sister out to go see a god awful movie,” Ana sighed. “And then after that her and her friends want to go to the pool but mom and dad are busy so guess who’s stuck babysitting.”

“I know Sheekie and I are free,” Cody said. They were siblings, Skeekie being two years older than Cody but she didn’t mind adding him into her group of friends. Despite the years apart though those two could pass as twins. Both had light brown hair and brown eyes, a smattering of freckles covering the bridge of their noses. They were both tall and willowy, their faces thin and angular in shape. A lot of the times we joked about how we couldn’t tell them apart since Sheekie cut her hair last summer.

“Yeah you can come pick us up at any time and we’ll go where ever,” Sheekie added. Her real name was Samantha but she hated it. Her parents wouldn’t allow her to shorten it to Sam either so whenever she was with the group she demanded they call her Sheekie. We didn’t even know where she got the name from but we didn’t care. Whatever made our friend happy.

“Same,” Blaine spoke up.

“Awe,” Ana whined. “I wish I could join you guys. Stupid dumb sister.”

“We could always kidnap you,” I pointed out. “Break down the door guns a blazing and whisk you away.”

“Nah. I shouldn’t be stuck with jailor duty for long,” Ana replied. “Maybe we can all head out to Crowns later tonight.” Everybody quickly agreed, Crowns being their favorite bar to go to. It was their favorite only because Ryan owned it and he gave us all free drinks as long as we were being reasonable.

“Can’t,” I sighed. “I have to be home early tonight.”

“Awe come on Amy,” Blaine said, shortening my name. “Ryan will probably be there tonight so he’ll know where you are.”

“Maybe,” I replied. The others relented and hung up, leaving me to grab my keys and head back down to my car. I yelled a quick goodbye to Maria and headed out. I loved my car. It was sleek and black and sexy as hell. I hoped in and sped off towards town, heading to Sheekie and Cody’s first since they were closer. They were already outside waiting when I pulled up to the curb. Sheekie slid into the front seat while Cody grabbed the back.

“Sup,” Cody greeted. “So what epic adventures are we up to today?”

“Mall?”

“Sounds good!” The great thing about Cody was that he actually loved shopping with the girls. Granted he didn’t like waiting around while they tried clothes on but just looking at different things was fun for him. Not to mention the fact that the two of them only grew up with their mother around, their dad having left right after Cody was born, so he was used to the more girly sides of life. Still loved football though. A curse Ana and myself were trying to break him out of but to no avail. Blaine on the other hand was a manly man as he loved to put it. He had jet black hair and while both of his parents were small in build, that didn’t stop him from hitting the gym constantly. He thought a six pack was all he needed to get girls.

Speak of the devil, as soon as I pulled up to his house, Blaine was doing sit ups in the front yard. I honked at him while Sheekie did some cat calls.

“Ladies,” Blaine bowed.

“No hi for me?” Cody asked, pretending to be hurt.

“Didn’t I just say ‘ladies’?” Blaine asked, deadpanned.

“Fuck you,” Cody shoved Blaine as he settled into his seat. With Blaine buckled in, I headed for the mall. I could spend hours in there and not get tired. With three floors and endless stores, I was in seventh heaven every time I walked through the doors. We all piled out and headed inside, with me leading them straight to the movie store first. I had ordered a movie in from them and they had called the day before to let me know about its arrival.

“Don’t you have enough movies?” Sheekie asked.

“Never!” I declared. We spent the rest of the day walking around our favorite stores, picking up anything we needed. I headed into a fancier clothing store and browsed around there for a bit. Ryan had promised to take me out for dinner one night to a nice restaurant for my birthday but I didn’t really have anything to wear. It was easier for him because his job as CEO demanded he wear nice suits all the time so his closet was absolutely full of them. However I worked part time at a grocery store and I only wore casual things to school. I settled on a light blue dress that ended at my knees. It had spaghetti straps and a decent neckline so I wasn’t falling out of it.

I was so picky when it came to dresses. When Sheeki, Ana and I had gone looking for dresses for our high school graduation they complained the whole way since I couldn’t find anything I liked. All the dresses now a days were low cut and short with nothing holding them up! I couldn’t wear something like that! If it didn’t have sleeves then it needed spaghetti straps. My pickiness came out of nowhere as far as anyone was concerned. Not even Maria could understand what was so wrong with some of the dresses I had found online. They all looked beautiful and would look even more so on me she had said.

With most of what I had come for in hand, we made our way to the giant food court for a late lunch. It was always a struggle to decide what to have there since there was so many options. Burgers, pizza, subs…the possibilities were endless. We decided on pizza and were soon settled into seats, eating and talking away. We walked around the mall for a bit more before a text from Ana had us heading back to my car. Ana was done babysitting and wanted out of her house so we all agreed it was a good time to head to Crowns. Since Ana had a car of her own we’d meet her there.

Crowns was a popular place, something Ryan had started up before he had become CEO of another company. He had been twenty-six at the time, owning his own bar the only thing he could think of doing for a long time. When he got offered the job as CEO at Monarch Labs he couldn’t find it in him to sell the bar so he balanced the two out which worked perfectly in his eyes. When I pulled up to building I saw Ryan’s car near the back of the parking lot so I pulled in beside it. Ana was already there, leaning against the door waiting for us. Ana, whose real name was Annabelle, was the model of the group. Not that there was anything wrong with Sheekie or myself, it was just that Ana really had it down on the looks. Wavy, dark brown hair that was always silky to the touch, big brown doe eyes and perfectly clear skin. She always wore the best clothes and it didn’t matter what the occasion was. She was tall too and really skinny. For a while we began to think there was something wrong with her. She could eat a barn full of food and still be the size of a twig. She preferred being called Ana instead of Annabelle because, while she did like her name, it was too much of a mouthful in her eyes. ‘Short and sweet’ is what she wanted so her nickname was made.

“Hey losers!” Ana greeted. “Ready to get our drink on? I feel like pounding back twenty shots of tequila and dancing till my toes turn blue!”

“Oh god. This kids drove her insane,” Blaine gasped. “There is no hope for her!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Ana swatted at him. We headed inside and straight for the bar. The bartender recognized us immediately, the five of us having been going to that place since grade eleven. Yes it was too young to be going to a bar but we were served only non-alcoholic drinks and had to leave before the crazies came in. Now we went every chance we got, although I still stuck to the non-alcoholic drinks.

“Hey kids,” the bartender, Jack, greeted us. “What’ll it be?” All of us placed our orders and then carried our drinks to an empty table. The was music playing in the background, just loud enough that people could hear it and dance along but not too loud like some clubs have it. The kind of loud that requires you to shout at your friends to be heard. As we talked, I was suddenly aware of a presence beside her. Glancing over, I saw Ryan standing there, his eyes trained on me.

“Hey Ry,” I greeted, turning towards him. “What’s up?”

“Jack told me you guys showed up. Wanted to come see how your day was going. I missed you this morning,” Ryan shrugged.

“Hi Ryan!” Ana said, sitting up straighter in her chair and flashing a huge smile. She had the hugest crush on Ryan. Like super huge. She was already planning their wedding huge. It was kind of weird for me. Ryan had been a huge part of my life and I saw him like an older brother. He was protective of me and always made sure I was okay before heading off to do anything. I mean, I could see why Ana would find him attractive. Clear, blue eyes, a strong face that always seemed to have only the beginnings of a beard on it. He was well built too and tall. Taller than me and he often made fun of me about it. But, like I said, for my best friend to be crushing on my adoptive parent/brother/whatever you’d call him it was really weird.

“Hello Annabelle,” Ryan replied, smiling softly at her before turning his attention back to me. I could see Ana deflate behind him and I tried to hide my smile. That was the thing with Ryan. He had no idea how the opposite sex felt about him and he often broke women’s hearts from his unintentional refusals. “Anyways I do hope you aren’t planning on staying out too late tonight.”

“No,” I shook my head. “I was only going to have a drink or two and then head home.”

“Good,” Ryan smiled. “If you’ll excuse me I have some things to take care of. See you in the morning.” He kissed my forehead and ruffled my hair before turning back to his office.

“Bye Ryan!” Ana called after him. I thought I saw his shoulders shake lightly. Maybe he did know how she felt and found it funny. Poor girl. When Ryan disappeared upstairs where his office was, Ana turned angry eyes on me.

“What?” I asked.

“Why is it that whenever you’re around all he does is pay attention to you?” She pouted. “He sees you every fucking day. He could spare some time to talk to me.”

“Ana I don’t think he’s interested,” I replied gently.

“Well why not?”

“Ana you are, what, fourteen years younger than him? He might see that as too young,” Blaine shrugged.

“Well it’s not!” Ana pouted again. A downside to her amazing good looks was that most guys paid attention to her and she was used to being doted on. When she met Ryan and he didn’t even give her a second glance, she was at first angry and then intrigued. I think his dismissal of her was what set her feelings in motion and it became a mission to get him to notice her.

“Relax Ana,” Sheekie soothed. “Amelia isn’t anything to him. Not in that way anyways. Just go up to his office and offer a blow job. That usually works.” I spit my drink out, laughing.

“Sheekie!” I giggled.

“What?” She demanded.

“I don’t think he even knows what a blow job is,” I snorted. “That dude never goes on dates. Or brings anyone home. Or goes home with anyone. Maybe he doesn’t have human emotions.”

“Oooh your guardian is a robot!” Cody said excitedly. “I bet instead of going to bed he plugs himself into the wall and activates ‘Sleep Mode’.” We stayed out for a bit longer before I decided it was time for me to make my exit. Ana offered to drive the others home so I waved goodbye and headed out to my car. The drive home was quiet, which I didn’t mind. When I got back to the house Maria was just finishing up dinner.

“Hi Maria,” I greeted, poking my head into the kitchen.

“Oh! Amelia dear!” She turned around from the stove, a nervous smile on her face. “I didn’t hear you come in! Why don’t you go wash up and I’ll have dinner waiting on the table for you.” I looked at her, confused by her reaction, before shrugging and heading up to my room. I dropped my bags off at the foot of my bed and hung up my new dress in the closet. My room was every teenager to early twenty year old’s wet dream. Ryan didn’t exactly know how to parent so he ended up buying me a lot of stuff as I grew up. Not to mention he remolded my entire room too. Before it had only been a simple guest room. Now I had a queen sized, four poster bed, a walk in closet and a giant flat screen TV. I also had every gaming system known to man, along with the games to go with them, I had four bookshelves dedicated to books and movies…it was a little overwhelming. I kept trying to tell Ryan it was too much but he wouldn’t listen. I eventually had to convince him to let me get my own job so I could pay for my own things. It didn’t stop him though.

Sighing, I headed back downstairs when Maria was waiting for me in the dining room. We always had dinner together, even when Ryan was here, but tonight was different. Tonight Maria was really quiet when usually she talked my ear off about everything she did during the day.

“Maria are you…feeling okay?” I finally asked.

“Fine dear! I’m fine,” she replied, jumping a little. “Just a bit tired today. Did a lot of work, trying to clean the place up a bit.” She smiled and then went back to being silent. After dinner I helped clean up the dishes before heading up to my room to finish up my homework and game a bit. Around ten Maria came up to my room with some tea. I always had tea before I went to bed. It just became routine after I turned fifteen and realised tea was a thing that people did. Again I noticed that Maria was acting strange. This time her face was all red and her hand was shaking slightly as she set the cup down on the bedside table. A too big smile was on her face too which didn’t help.

“Goodnight Maria,” I said, watching her. She just nodded and left. Shaking my head, I picked my tea up and started slowly sipping at it. It seemed way too sweet for some reason which was odd because I never had tea with that much sugar in it. “You’re losing it Amy.” I muttered to myself and drank the rest of the tea before getting ready for bed. I hadn’t felt tired when I first headed up to my room but all of a sudden it felt like I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. Instead of fighting it I just crawled into bed and was out like a light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so the first chapter was fast paced because I wanted to get to this point in Amelia's life. I promise the pace will slow down. Which is why there is so much talking.


	3. Trouble in Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something isn't right. Amelia can feel it as soon as she wakes up. But the only thing she can think of is "Why?"

I woke up to pitch darkness. I had no idea why I woke up but I had a feeling it had something to do with my mouth feeling like cotton. Groaning, I got up, surprised at how dizzy I felt, and make my way to the bathroom. The light blinded me for a moment and I had to squint my eyes in order to find my way to the sink. I drank down two cups of water, the liquid helping a lot with my fry mouth but not with my dizziness, when a noise from downstairs caught my attention. It was a loud bang…like a door being thrown open and hitting the wall. Curiosity getting the better of me, I threw a robe on and headed to the stairs, looking down at the first floor. I could hear voices coming from down there, one sounding like Ryan’s. Slowly I made my way down stairs, hanging onto the railing for support in case my dizzy spell decided to make me fall. What the hell was wrong with me?

“Ryan?” I called out. The voices stopped and Ryan came striding out of his study dressed in his Mad King outfit.

“Amelia,” he said quietly. “What are you doing up? Why are you leaning on the railing like that?”

“Somethings…wrong,” I shook my head. My knees gave out on me then as my head spun. Ryan was at my side in an instant, his fingers ghosting over me.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” He sounded frantic. “How do you feel right now?”

“Dizzy…” I mumbled, my head falling onto my arm which was still attached to the railing.

“Mad King what is the hold up?” Someone came over to us. “Who is this girl?”

“Do me a favor? I think she’s been drugged. Grab my medical kit from downstairs. I want to do a blood test to see what it is,” he turned back to me, pulling me into his arms.

“But sir-”

“Now!” Ryan roared. I heard footsteps leaving quickly. “Amelia I know it might be hard right now but can you please try to remember what happened before you went to bed?”

“I played…some games…” It was getting harder to focus. Whatever was in my system was strong. Why I didn’t stay under was a mystery to me. “Maria brought me some tea…it was…too sweet.”

“Fuck,” Ryan swore. Footsteps came back over to us and handed Ryan his bag. “Sweetie this is going to sting a bit.” He opened up his bag and pulled out a syringe, attaching a needle at the end and grabbing my arm. He slid the needle into the crook of my elbow and drew some blood out before taking the needle out and handing it to the man beside him. “Take this. Run the tests. Be as quick as you can.”

“Yes sir,” the man replied and left again.

“And somebody find me Maria!” Ryan yelled after him. Gently, he picked me up and carried me to the couch, laying me down on it with my head propped up by the arm.

“Why would…Maria…do this?” I breathed. I was trying my hardest to stay away, not exactly wanting to fall back asleep with an unknown drug still in my system.

“I don’t know,” Ryan shook his head. “But I’m going to kill her for it.” He smoothed my hair away from my face. Someone else came into the room, Maria in tow.

“Found her hiding in a back room,” the man said. “Bags packed and ready to go. Where do you want her?”

“Tie her to a chair if you can,” Ryan replied. “One of the ones in the kitchen should work.”

“And what do we do about the other…thing?”

“Get whatever information he has. If he doesn’t talk, kill him,” Ryan’s eyes never left my face as he spoke, his thumb stroking my cheek gently. He waited for the man to leave before turn to look at Maria. She was tied rather tightly to a chair, fear written all over her face. “Maria.” Ryan said, his face hardening.

“I had to do it,” she started rambling. “It was for her own good. You’re a monster Ryan Haywood. A monster that can’t be stopped. I was not going to let an innocent soul like Amelia be forced down the same road to madness as you have been.”

“So you drugged her?” Ryan asked.

“I knew she wouldn’t come with me on her own,” Maria replied. “I had to think of something.”

“Maria,” Ryan sighed. “I trusted you. Trusted you to not tell anyone who I really was and trusted you to take care of the one thing I care most about. Sadly you seem to have failed.”

“I didn’t tell anyone. I swear,” Maria said. “And this is me trying to take care of her. She cannot live a life in the house of a murderer.”

“She has been for twenty years,” Ryan pointed out. “I see nothing wrong with her.”

“You wouldn’t. But I see what she has become,” Maria shuddered. “A true protégée of you indeed. Already she laughs at the death of others and those wretched video games you allow her to play…she is no longer the innocent angel that once graced these halls. She has no emotion in her eyes and she hardly goes out. Instead she chooses to seclude herself in her room for hours on end. She must be freed of this prison!”

“Went out…today…” I tried to roll my eyes but it failed miserably. “What more…do you want? I have homework and my job to keep me busy.”

“Where were you going to take her? Ryan asked.

“Away from this city. Nowhere that concerns you.”

“You didn’t think that she’d try to get a hold of me?” Ryan raised an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t let her,” Maria said. “We would be far away from any means of communication with you.”

“What did you give her?” Ryan started pacing the room. “What was in her tea?”

“A simple sleeping drug,” Maria shrugged. “Obviously not enough.”

“Did it not occur to you that you might have overdosed her?!” Ryan yelled. “She can hardly stand as it is!”

“I know enough to not give her too much!”

“And how much would have been too much?” Ryan asked. “You are no doctor Maria. You have no medical knowledge of any kind aside putting band aids on a scratch. You could have killed her!” He reached into his suit jacket and pulled a gun out, pointing it at Maria. “Amelia close your eyes.” He said through gritted teeth. I did as I was told, turning my head away, and a very loud bang went through the rooms. My ears started to ring a bit and I winced.

“Mad King?” Somebody came into the room.

“Take that away and clean this up. Take care of everything downstairs and then leave. Don’t disturb me anymore tonight. If Marcus finds out what was used and it’s not anything bad then just leave the results on the kitchen table,” Ryan ordered. He came back over to me. “Keep your eyes closed, love.” He picked me back up and carried me out of the room, heading upstairs. “I don’t even know what she gave you.” He muttered, his grip tightening on me.

“Can’t be…too bad could it?” I asked, my head clearing a bit. Maybe the drug was finally leaving my system. I hoped it was.

“I just want to make sure,” Ryan sighed. “She had no idea what she was doing. Probably didn’t even know what she was giving you.” He pushed my bedroom door open enough so he could get in and then closed it behind him again. He laid me down in bed and crawled in next to me, propping his head up on his hand. “I can’t leave you alone can I? You’re always up to something.”

“I am not,” I replied. I was still trying to fight the drugs but I was quickly losing. My eyelids just kept getting heavier. Maybe that was just my body telling me it was way too early to be up.

“You should rest,” Ryan said softly, running his fingers through my hair. “I need you to be wide awake tomorrow.”

“Why?” I asked as I got more comfortable.

“Because I think it’s time I teach you how to take care of yourself,” Ryan sighed. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to, that there would always be someone here to look out for you, but after tonight I see that is no longer possible. Now sleep.” I made a face at him but closed my eyes anyways. Again it didn’t take me long to fall asleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooooooooooooooo I totally forgot that I never uploaded this chapter after I finished it.....Also I know this chapter is short but I didn't have anything else to add to it...


	4. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan promised to train Amelia and he's going to stick to that. But first he's gonna have to convince his crew to accept a new member.

When I woke up Ryan was gone. A quick glance at the clock showed me it was almost noon. Stretching, I crawled out of bed and took a quick shower. The effects of the drug had worn off but my mouth still felt like cotton. I changed into sweats and a baggy t-shirt, tying my hair into a bun, before heading downstairs. Ryan was in the kitchen, talking to some guys. They fell quiet when I walked it and I hesitated, wondering if I should go away for a bit.

“It’s fine Amelia, you can come in,” Ryan said. They were standing in the middle of the room, forming a semi-circle around a giant bag. It took me a moment to realise it was a body bag and who was likely inside. “Get this outside and dispose of it.” Ryan said to the others. They nodded and did as they were told, lifting the bag with ease and carrying it out of sight. Ryan started pulling a pan out of the cupboard and got some eggs and bacon out as well. There was a bar type counter that split the kitchen in half, the one side without the stove having chairs. I sat down on one and watched quietly as Ryan cooked. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” I replied. “Mouth is a little dry though.” I got up again from the stool and got some juice out of the fridge, getting a big glass and filling it. I drank half of the juice down in a few gulps, sighing in relief as the cotton feeling went away.

“Good. The results of your blood test showed only a simple sleeping drug, one doctors normally give patients,” he said. “So I was thinking.”

“That’s always dangerous,” I mumbled under my breath.

“Ha. You are hilarious,” Ryan rolled his eyes. “Anyways. You remember when I said I was going to start training you to protect yourself?”

“Yes.”

“I’m thinking that we’ll start today,” Ryan said, sliding the bacon out of the pan and cracking a few eggs into it. “I know it’s really all of a sudden but I want to make sure, should I have to leave you on your own, that you will be okay. You must have noticed by now that a lot of the staff have gone…missing.”

“Yes…”

“Things are turning for the worst right now,” Ryan sighed. “I have a mob boss on my back, wanting to take me down, and it is very easy for him to slip a few thousand to anyone so they can get information on me. We were lucky with Maria. She only did what she did out of fear. But the others…I can no longer trust.”

“So you’ve basically fired everyone.” I grabbed two plates from the cupboards and put them down beside Ryan so he could get the eggs on them.

“Yes,” Ryan nodded. “So it’s going to be just us from now on.”

“Okay.” We took our breakfast into the dining room and ate in silence for a bit. My mind was running over everything that had happened last night. Maria, sweet, kind Maria, had drugged me and tried to kidnap me. I shuddered as I remembered the blood that covered the floor when Ryan shot her and quickly pushed that memory away.

“I know you’re busy with school and work,” Ryan started. “But do you think you could make time to get a membership at the gym and go there once and a while? We need to get your stamina up. I’ll also get one added to the house, maybe in the basement, so it’s more convenient.”

“What, don’t think I’m strong enough now?” I asked. Ryan gave me a look and I grinned. “Come on, I could take you.”

“I highly doubt that. I have been in this business since before you were born kid. Trust me when I say you would not be able to beat me,” he turned back to his food.

“Or maybe you’re just scared that I would beat you,” I said under my breath but he heard me anyways.

“You know what? I think Maria was right. You are exactly like me.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You are not even fazed by what happened last night,” Ryan explained, watching me. “I shot a woman in front of you. A woman who has been taking care of you for most of your life. I would have expected at least some mourning.”

“I don’t think it’s really hit me yet,” I said quietly. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a good thing that I don’t feel anything towards it. I mean, do you know how to deal with someone who is hysterical?” Ryan paused for a moment.

“Good point,” he replied. We were quiet for a moment before Ryan set his fork down. “Since nobody will be here anymore, I’ll be doing more business at home. That means your friends can’t come over, lest should they stumble upon something they shouldn’t.”

“I understand,” I said.

“Good. That friend of yours…what’s her name? The one with the crush on me?”

“Ana?” I supplied.

“Yes, her,” Ryan shook his head. “If she’s as serious as I think she is with her little feelings for me…”

“You’re going to have a fall wedding in a clearing surrounded by the beautiful falling leaves,” I informed him. “The bridesmaid dresses will all be a soft yellow. Your children’s names will be Christopher and Sara and you’ll live in a-” I was cut off by Ryan reaching across the table and slapping a hand over my mouth. His eyes were wide and I had to laugh a little at his expression.

“Please. No more,” he breathed. “I cannot stand the thought of that child having such fantasises about me.” I pried his hand off of my mouth and looked up at him.

“Child? Dude, she isn’t that much younger than you,” I said. “Ana is the oldest of our group.” She was kept behind a few grades because her parents didn’t trust the school systems and therefore she started a bit later than everyone else.

“Still. I would not want to endure that torture.” Ryan shuddered.

“Oh be nice,” I sighed. “You should be happy that someone sees you as attractive. You hardly ever go out for fun and I highly doubt you’ve ever been on a date before either. Take it as a compliment.”

“A compliment from an insane girl,” Ryan growled.

“She’d be a perfect match then,” I replied. Ryan raised an eyebrow but said nothing. I got up and took my dishes into the kitchen, setting them in the dishwasher before heading back upstairs. I pulled my hair out of the bun and set to work brushing it smooth. Ryan came up a few moments later and leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms.

“What are you doing today?” He asked.

“Nothing,” I replied. “I was going to finish up my homework but that’s about it.”

“Wanna come to work with me instead?”

“Work or ‘work’?” I asked.

“The illegal one,” Ryan smirked. “I want you to meet a few people.”

“Like who?”

“You’ll find out. Come on,” he offered his arm to me and I accepted it with a roll of my eyes. He led me out to his car and we took off to where he did his other job. I had only been to labs where he worked and that was just to drop off some papers he had forgotten. Ryan had forbidden me from going to the other place, deeming it too dangerous at the time.

Ryan pulled in front of an old warehouse by the docks. The building was plain which was probably a good thing. Ryan led me inside and I was greeted by a large group of people milling about. The inside of the warehouse was not what I was expecting either. Computers lined one side of the building while the rest had maps, blue prints and a table filled with papers. As soon as the door closed behind us, everyone turned to face us. I stepped behind Ryan, a little intimidated by the stares.

“I want to hold a meeting. Now.” Ryan’s voice rang through the warehouse. Everyone scrambled up and crowded around the table, waiting. Ryan grabbed my hand and pulled me over so that we were both facing everyone. “Everyone this is Amelia. She will be joining our ranks.”

“Just like that?” Someone asked. “No test or anything? She might be a spy!”

“I highly doubt that,” Ryan smiled. “I’ve been taking care of her since she was a baby. The chances of her being a spy are slim to none.”

“Why now then?”

“Because it seems the people I’ve entrusted with her care have betrayed me. Now I want her to learn our ways. I need someone who will help train Amelia. Gun fire, knife throwing, all that jazz,” Ryan squeezed my hand. “Where is Max?” A woman a little shorter than me walked forward. She had blond hair done in a pixie cut and hard blue eyes. She wore a black tank top and camo cargo pants. Tattoos decorated most of her arms and had multiple piercings in her ears.

“What?” Max said, her eyes shifting from me to Ryan. “You want me to train her?”

“Please,” Ryan replied.

“Fuck no. Look at her,” Max gestured to me as if to make a point. “She’s too soft. She won’t even last five seconds in training.”

“She’s tougher than she looks,” Ryan said. “As for soft, I’m sure you are more than capable to handle that.”

“No,” Max crossed her arms. “I am not going to play babysitter. You want her trained, you do it yourself.”

“Max,” someone stepped up beside her. I had to blink for a moment, wondering if I was seeing doubles. They looked exactly the same except the other one had shorter hair. And was a guy.

“No Mac. I refuse to do it,” Max glared over at me. The others around her were starting to shift uncomfortably and I could feel Ryan tensing up beside me. “I joined this crew only to do heists. Not to babysit some chick who doesn’t know the barrel of a gun from the trigger.”

“Max,” Ryan said coolly. “I am not asking. I am telling. You will help train Amelia and I will not hear another complaint come from you about the matter. Now, I want an update on where we stand with Ramsey. Has he figured out who stole his cargo yet?” Someone else stepped forward and started giving information. After a bit Ryan dismissed everyone and took my up to an office where he pulled out a chair for me. “I am sorry about her. Max doesn’t like anyone new but she’s the closest to your body type and it would really help with training.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “So I’m becoming part of this….crew?”

“More or less,” Ryan nodded. “I want you close to me at all times. Things are becoming more dangerous now that the enemy has even more reason to want my head on a platter. Plus, you’re smart. I could use a brain like yours to help plan stuff. I don’t have a right hand man or anything, it’s just me running these idiots. Help would be appreciated.”

“What makes you think they’ll listen to me?” I asked.

“Once they get to know you, they will,” Ryan reassured me. “Now. A small group and I are going on a heist tonight. We need more ammo and things like that. I am going to leave you here, where the others can keep an eye on you. It would make me feel better knowing that you’re protected for now.”

“How do you know none of them are going to betray you?” I asked quietly.

“Because all of them down there owe me their lives,” Ryan replied. “I have saved their asses too many times to count and should they ever cross me they know exactly what will happen.” Someone knocked on the door and Ryan went to open it. “Oh good. Max.” I tensed up as Max entered the room. “Take Amelia out to the fields and show her how to use a gun. Start with a small pistol and work your way up.” Max just glared at him for a moment before turning her eyes on me. She jerked her head towards the door and I got up, about ready to follow her. Ryan gabbed my arm and pulled my close so he could whisper in my ear. “If she tries or says anything, let me know, okay?” I nodded and he kissed my temple before letting me go. I followed Max outside and to a small van. Mac was there waiting for us, smiling as he watched us approach.

“Hello!” He greeted cheerfully when we were within ear shot. “I’m Mac, Max’s twin brother. Ready for training to begin?” I nodded and he opened the side door for me, waiting for me to crawl into the back before shutting it. Max climbed into the driver’s seat and Mac got in beside her. “Alright so the first thing about guns, don’t be scare of them. Also don’t point the barrel at your face.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” I muttered under my breath. We drove for about a half hour, Max turning down a dirt road a few miles outside city limits. After the trees cleared I saw a huge clearing where multiple targets and courses had been set up. We all got out, Max grabbing a bag from the back of the van, and headed for the make shift shooting range. “Won’t somebody come and take all of this down?” I asked as we got closer.

“Nah,” Mac replied. “Nobody comes out here anymore. A house used to stand in the middle, old and forgotten. Ryan bought the property and tore the thing down, setting the shooting range and course up.” He knelt down and opened up the bag, taking out a few guns and laying them down on a long plank of wood that was used as the barrier. He handed me a pistol and I looked up at him, waiting. “Alright, first thing’s first. You need to know how to hold a gun. This thing is empty so you don’t have to worry about shooting your foot off. Then, Maxie there is gonna show you how to shoot properly. I highly doubt we’ll get to using bullets today, but we’ll see. Ready? Let’s begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey look at that! two updates in one day! I swear I will never forget to upload a finished chapter ever again


	5. Love is in the Air!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia and Ryan set off to tour the museum and Ryan gets himself in a...very unwanted position.

By four o’clock I knew how to hold all the guns they had in their bag and how to shoot them all. Max and Mac did let me fire the pistol off a few times too, just to see how I took the recoil and such. They drove me back to the warehouse, getting there just in time to hear the middle part of Ryan’s plan to break into the city’s museum. As soon as we walked through the door, Ryan turned and smiled brightly at me. I felt Max tense up beside me and glanced at her from the corner of my eye. She was scowling at the ground and I wondered what had happened for her to change so quickly but I pushed it aside. Max had issues I did not want to go near.

I was content to just stand on the side and listen but Ryan motioned for me to stand beside him. I think he was enjoying me being there too much.

“Okay so Amelia and I will be going to the museum to scope things out; find the exits see how many guards they have and all that fun stuff,” Ryan said. “The team going in will consist of five people. Max, Mac, Jamie, Tyler and Sarah.”

“Wait, why is she going in for recon?” Max demanded. “She hasn’t even been here for a day and you’re already giving her a job? Besides, _I_ do recon.”

“Yes but you also scare people,” Ryan replied, annoyed. “Not to mention the last time I sent you to do recon and you started a gunfight at the location. You want to be so trigger happy then you get to do the hard stuff. On the team you’ll be lookout. That means keeping your eyes open and looking for any problems. Got it?” When Max didn’t answer Ryan nodded. “Good. Now. The item we’re after is a statue. It may not look like much but it is worth a lot. I have a buyer who is willing to pay a hundred and thirty million for it.”

“Great, that’ll pay for the next few weeks,” someone said. “When are we going after the big score?”

“Soon. Now, tomorrow I will go to the museum. The rest of you wait for me,” Ryan said. “If there aren’t any more questions, I’m going home.” He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me away from the group. He didn’t say anything until we were in the car. “I was thinking take out for dinner tonight. What about you?”

“Sounds good to me,” I replied. Ryan nodded and headed to our favorite Chinese restaurant. It was honestly the best place to go. We were regulars there too so as soon as we walked in they had our orders on the go. Ryan and I always got the same thing. I would get chicken balls, fried rice and low mein while he got wontons, shrimp and beef with mixed greens. It was a slow night so it didn’t take long to get our food and we were soon back out the door again and headed home. I was tempted to just dig in right then and there, the smell of the food making my mouth water.

“How did it go?” Ryan suddenly asked, glancing over at me. “Max looked pissed when you guys came back.”

“Doesn’t she always look pissed?”

“No,” Ryan shook his head. “I have no idea what’s gotten into her today. She never questions me about my orders and she is never that rude to new people either. I don’t get it. She wasn’t too hard on you was she?”

“No, she didn’t talk that much expect to say little comments about what Mac was teaching me. Mostly she just stood off to the side and glared at everything,” I replied.

“That’s good,” Ryan smiled at me.

“So, we’re going sightseeing tomorrow eh?” I asked, looking out the window.

“Mmhmm. Hope you don’t mind,” Ryan sighed. “I know the museum isn’t the best of places but we need that statue.”

“I don’t mind,” I replied. “You just owe me one. The next time I have to go somewhere boring, you’re coming with me.”

“Deal,” Ryan laughed.

 

The next morning Ryan got me up early so we could get ready. I was kind of unsure about how I felt with the whole situation. We were only going to the museum so Ryan could rob it later. I was nervous and I felt bad but at the same time it was kind of…fun.

It was a little cooler out that day so I threw on a light sweater and some jeans, brushing my hair back into a ponytail. I bounded down the stairs and headed for the kitchen, the smell of bacon wafting through the door. I was greeted with the weirdest and funniest sight in my entire life. Ryan was standing at the stove wearing a bright pink apron that had frills on the sides.

“Wow,” I said, snickering. “That colour looks so good on you.”

“Thanks I’m trying out a new look,” Ryan replied, sarcasm dripping off his words. “It’s the only apron in this house.” I quickly pulled my phone out and snapped a picture of him. I forgot my sound was turned up so the click that the phone made alerted Ryan right away. “That better not be a camera.” He warned.

“What if it is?” I taunted, grinning. “What if I plan on showing all my friends how adorable you look in a bright pink apron?”

“You will never see the light of day again,” Ryan vowed but I could see a smile playing at his lips.

“Hm. Gotta catch me first.” As soon as the words left my mouth Ryan had the stove turned off and was running towards me. I screamed and raced back up the stairs, trying to get to my room.

“Come here!” Ryan called after me.

“No! The picture is going on all social media!” I laughed. “I shall send it to the newspapers and everyone will see you for who you are! House wife Ryan!” I felt arms wrap around my waist just as I reached my bedroom door and I was suddenly tugged backwards, my back crashing into Ryan’s chest.

“Give me the phone,” Ryan laughed breathlessly, trying to wrestle the phone from my hands.

“Never!” I cried, struggling to break free.

“Come on! I have to keep a strong image! Do you have any idea what the guys in the crew would do if they found that?!” Ryan said. “I’d be ruined! Max would be running the place! I can’t have that! I’d be the laughing stock of the entire city!”

“Too bad!” We fought for a few more seconds before Ryan just dropped my on the ground.

“Way to go! We’re going to be late now,” he huffed. “I’ll deal with you later.” I stuck my tongue out at him but followed him downstairs. “I had an amazing breakfast planned and then you went and ruined it.” He took the apron off and hung it a hook by the door.

“Happy to help!” I said cheerfully. Ryan just smiled and shook his head.

“Come on you brat.” He threw an arm over my shoulders and led me out to the car.

The drive to the museum wasn’t too long and soon enough we were waiting with a group of people for a tour. I felt Ryan stiffen up next to me and looked up at him, confused, until I saw who he was looking at.

“Oh, didn’t I mention that Ana works here as a guide?” I snickered. “Looks like she’s with our group.”

“Amelia!” Ana cried, running over to us. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you know,” I shrugged. “I came for the male strippers.”

“Oh ha ha,” Ana rolled her eyes. “I thought you said this place was to boring for you.”

“What can I say?” I replied “I just _love_ history.” Ana then noticed who I was standing beside and started blushing a deep red.

“R-Ryan!” She greeted. “Hi!”

“Hello Ana,” he said, not really paying attention. He was scanning the entrance area for camera and any other exits that might come in handy.

“I never thought I’d see you here!” She continued. “You always seem so busy with work.”

“Yes well, running a bar and being a CEO does make for an interesting life,” he replied. He suddenly got a weird look on his face and turned towards her. “Say Ana. What are you doing later tonight?”

“M-me? Um…um…nothing! I’m completely free!” She replied.

“Would you like to go out to dinner with me?” Ryan asked. I could tell it was physically hurting him to ask her and I could help but smirk. I almost giggled too but I fought to keep that down.

“Yes!” Ana nearing screamed. “I’d love to! Amelia can give you my address and I’ll be ready for eight! Okay um, I need to start the tour now but I’ll see you later! Bye!” She headed for the front of the group, trying to calm down, and started the introduction.

“Wow Ryan,” I finally giggled. “Hot date with Ana eh? Should I go stay with one of my friends in case things get heavy?”

“I hate you so much right now,” Ryan said through gritted teeth. “I cannot believe I just did that. And all for a fucking alibi too.”

“Alibi?” I asked.

“I have to make sure I’m seen in the public eye when the others come here,” Ryan explained. “It’s even better if someone is with me.”

“Ahh, so you’re using my friend!” I poked him in the ribs. “Just let her down easy okay? An upset and vengeful Ana is not something I want to deal with.”

“Vengeful?”

“She dumped a bucket of ice down a guy’s pants once because he stood her up,” I replied. “His excuse was that the football game was on and he didn’t want to miss it.”

“Oh dear god,” Ryan said, biting his lip. “What would she do to me?”

“Kidnap you probably, make you her sex slave.”

“At least I have you to save me.”

“No fucking way dude. You’re on your own.” Ryan winced and went quit, causing me to snicker again. The rest of the tour went smoothly, Ryan making notes of cameras, security and exits. At the end of the tour, Ana blew a kiss to Ryan and waved to me and I swear Ryan went a shade of green I had never seen before. On the ride back he kept complaining about what was going to happen later that night and I just stayed quiet, enjoying the whole thing. It was about time something as entertaining as this happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god life get out of my way and let me write!


	6. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan prepares for his date and then later opens up to Amelia about his past.

“Awe look at you,” I cooed at Ryan as he came down the stairs. He was wearing a black, long sleeved shirt and dark blue jeans. His hair was brushed back a bit so it was away from his face and he had thrown on a leather jacket as well. I started to pretend that I was getting teary eyed. “My little Ryan, going out on a date. They grow up so fast.”

“Shut up,” Ryan growled.

“Make sure to pack extra condoms!” I grinned.

“I swear I will murder you if you make one more quip,” he shook his head. “I am not ready for this.” He admitted.

“You’ll be fine,” I replied. “Just take her for dinner, maybe go for a walk and come home.

“Will you be okay?” Ryan asked, coming over to me and resting his hands on my arms. “I hate leaving you here unprotected.”

“Hey, I didn’t just train to use a gun for nothing,” I smiled. “I’ll be fine. If anything goes bump in the night I’ll call, okay? Now stop trying to get out of this and go. You’ll be late.”

“Yes, heaven forbid _that_ ever happen,” he grumbled. Ryan kissed me quickly on the cheek and then headed out. I watched his car pull out of the garage and head down the driveway. I sent a quick text to Ana saying that Ryan had just left and then wandered into the kitchen to figure out a dinner for myself.

I decided to make tacos and about half way through the cooking process, I got two texts. One was from Ryan and one was from Ana.

 **Ana:** He’s being SUCH a gentleman!!! Oh Amelia this is like a dream right now! I excused myself to the bathroom so I could let you know how well things are going! Later we’re going for a romantic walk in the park. I’m in love.

 **Me:** I’m so glad to hear that! I can’t wait to hear about the rest of the evening!!

I sent that and checked Ryan’s text.

 **Ryan:** I need you to come here and kill me.

 **Me:** That bad huh?

 **Ryan:** She won’t shut up!

 **Ryan:** Shit she’s coming back. God I hope this is over soon.

 **Me:** You two kids have fun now! <3

I laughed as I sent that and finished cooking dinner. I made up some tacos and settled down in front of the TV, popping my favorite movie in. As I ate, I waited for more texts from Ana and Ryan but it was quiet until about nine thirty when Ana let me know he was dropping her off.

 **Ana:** Again such a gentleman! He opened my door for me! Honestly I am going to marry this man

 **Me:** Go right ahead girl. I’ll plan the wedding.

 **Ana:** I’m so happy right now I could fly!!

My phone chimed as another text came in.

 **Ryan:** I need a drink.

 **Ryan:** I need a few drinks.

 **Me:** You’re wedding is being planned as we speak.

 **Ryan:** …fuck…

I shook my head, smiling, and set my phone down, heading for the kitchen. I cleaned up everything and went back to my movie. A few minutes later the door opened and Ryan came in, practically slamming the door behind him. He dragged his feet over to the couch where I was curled up on one end and flopped down, resting his head on my legs.

“Hey Casanova,” I giggled. He threw an arm over his eyes and sighed dramatically.

“She kept going on and on about everything in her life,” he whined. “All her little problems, her past relationships, her likes and dislikes….I had no time to say anything! Not to mention that when we went for a walk she clung to me like some child. She wanted me to kiss her goodnight!”

“She did not!” I laughed hard at that, tears falling from my eyes.

“She did!” Ryan replied. “The witch stood on her doorstep, closed her eyes and leaned towards me! She even puckered her lips!” That got another peal of laughter from me.

“What did you do?” I asked.

“I said goodnight and left! I must say, she looked very disappointed at that.”

“The poor girl,” I said between giggles. “I bet she was hoping for the spark to ignite a fire for the night.”

“Good God I hope not,” Ryan shuddered. I started running my hand through his hair, trying to calm him. “She won’t expect another date will she?”

“Probably,” I shrugged. “If anything she’ll be expecting you to call her. Failing that, she’ll call you.”

“I want to forget tonight every happened,” Ryan groaned.

“Oh hush, it was important,” I reminded him.

“Speaking of, I should see how the job went,” he sighed but made no move to get up. “I’ll do it in the morning.”

“What’s Max’s story?” I suddenly asked. “She seems to have a history with you.”

“I found her much like I did you,” Ryan replied. “A few months before you actually. She and her brother were just kids in the streets, asking around for the odd job here and there so they could make money to eat. I brought them back to the crew and they ended up staying. The crew became their new family. I trained them mostly and took care of anything they needed. Max just stuck by my side through the entire thing. Kind of like my right hand man. Or woman. She helps me make decisions.”

“That would explain why she seemed mad at me,” I said.

“Hm?”

“Well, she jealous,” I replied. “She probably sees you as her savoir or something and after joining the crew and becoming your right hand, she’s probably developed a very high respect for her, maybe has even come to love you as a father figure. Maybe more.” I shrugged. “I got in the way.” Ryan sat up and turned towards me.

“You’ve never been in the way,” he said quietly.

“Not to you,” I said. “But to her? She was your favorite right?” Ryan nodded slowly. “Well, outside of this house she continued to be your favorite. Until you decided that it was time for me to join the crew with you. After that, she saw me as a threat.”

“I never…thought of it that way,” Ryan said.

“Girls are complicated like that,” I shrugged.

“Wow,” Ryan shook his head. He flopped back down onto his back. “I have a girl who is convinced we’re getting married, one who is jealous of my unofficial kid and I have a rival crew coming after me. What has my life become?”

“Unofficial kid?” I asked. “I mean, you’re what, fifteen years older than me? And I’m more of an adult then you are sir.”

“Alright then what? You wanna be siblings? I can do siblings,” Ryan laughed.

“Alright,” I shrugged. “We’ll be the siblings of crime.”

“Everyone will hear our names and tremble,” Ryan agreed. We were quiet for a bit, my hand going back to carding through Ryan’s hair.

“So, why do you have a rival gang after you?” I asked.

“It was a gang I used to be a part of,” Ryan replied, his eyes closed. “The Fake AH. I was only a kid, living on the streets. The boss, Geoff, found me and took me in. Trained me to be the perfect mercenary for the crew. He paid me well enough but then I got an offer too good to resist. I was to spy on Geoff, learn all his plans and pass it on to my new employer. Well, I got ratted out and I quickly fled, taking a lot of important information with me. I broke off with my employer too and started on my own. I had enough money to buy this place and get people to work here. I was thirteen at the time.”

“Oh my god,” I gasp. “Where the hell were your parents?”

“Dunno,” Ryan shrugged. “Woke up one day and they were gone. All their stuff was packed and the car was gone. Nobody knew where they were. I ended up on the streets. Geoff found me when I was nine. Then when I left Geoff’s crew, I tried making my own way. Had a few deals going on and one went sour. The couple I was working with wanted to sell me out. Geoff was offering a big reward. That was around the time I found you.”

“My god…you were so young,” I said, shocked. In all the years we had lived together, I never once thought to as about Ryan’s past. Now that I knew, I felt bad for him. He was abandoned and forced on the streets before joining the life of crime.

“I had Maria and the others,” he shrugged. “And then when I found you…everything got better.”

“Awe, are you saying I’m the light of your life?” I teased.

“Shut up,” he laughed and poked me.

“What’s going to happen if Geoff catches up to you?” I asked.

“Simple. We’ll fight to the death. He can’t let the past go and I’m not about to just hand myself over,” Ryan replied. “I have too much to live for right now.”

“Don’t do anything stupid, okay?” I said quietly. “I can’t lose you.”

“I love you too Amelia,” Ryan smiled. We stayed like that until the movie ended and then I headed up to bed. I had school the next day and work. However, as I lay in bed I couldn’t calm my mind. It kept running over scenario after scenario of what would happen if this other crew found Ryan. I had to think of a way to make sure that never happened. Which meant I’d have to really focus on learning how to fight. As much as I hated to do it, I knew I had to ask Max to train me some more. Tomorrow was going to be a fun day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I messed up. Big time. Originally I had a vision in my mind of when Amelia was found by Ryan. I saw him as an adult. But then I realised that I needed them to be somewhat closer in age than the age he would have been had he been the 35 year old I had in mind. That being said, his backstory is completely on the spot and I apologize if it seems weird.


	7. Revenge Is Sweet But...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan wants to show Geoff who's boss but Geoff beats him to it.

“No,” Max didn’t even turn around to look at me. She continued cleaning her guns and making sure nothing was wrong with them.

“Max please,” I tried again. As soon as I had gotten off of work I met Ryan at the warehouse. He had one last meeting to do before we could leave so I took my chance to ask Max for extra training. “I need to learn this.”

“So ask someone else,” Max huffed. “Stop bothering me. Why should I care if you know how to defend yourself or not?”

“Look I know you feel threatened by me,” I sighed. “I get it. You see Ryan in the highest respect and now that I’m here I’m fucking everything up. But I’m worried about him. Ryan is walking towards danger and if something were to happen to him then I need to help him in any way I can.”

“That’s why he has us!” Max finally looked up at me, glaring. “He doesn’t need you to come to his rescue. He has the crew. We’re his back up. Not you.”

“Oh for god’s sake Maxine,” Mac finally spoke up from his corner of the room. “Stop being a brat. She’s his family and that makes her one of us. So he’s kept her hidden from us this entire time. Oh well. It was for her protection.”

“Do not call me Maxine,” she growled. “And if you care so much about it then you teach her. I want nothing to do with it.”

“Fine!” Mac threw his hands up in the air. “You keep this up Max and Ryan will demote you to us lower members. You know he hates it when you disobey orders and when you talk back to him. I don’t care if you are his right hand. He’s the leader and she’s probably going to take over if he dies because she’s family and that puts her in a higher rank than you. So suck it up buttercup. Come on, kid. Let’s leave this one alone.” Mac slung his arm around me and pulled me out to the main area. Ryan was just walking down from his office and smiled when he saw me.

“Amelia,” he greeted, ruffling my hair. “What are you doing hanging out with the likes of him?” Ryan motioned to Mac.

“Whoa, hey, I am a respectable gentleman of society!” Mac said, pretending to be offended.

“Sure,” Ryan chuckled. He turned back to me. “Ready to go home?”

“Yep!” I followed Ryan out to the car and hopped into the passenger seat. “So did you make millions upon billions for whatever you stole?”

“Not that much but we made a lot,” Ryan sighed. “Max almost fucked the entire job up though. She decided to be cocky and almost led the police to the hideout. I’m going to have a serious talk with her tomorrow.”

“Yeah she seemed even more pissed off today,” I commented.

“Yes well, she didn’t like it when I moved her down from my right hand to just a normal crew member,” Ryan shrugged.

“You demoted her?”

“I had to. This isn’t the only time she has fucked everything up in a job,” Ryan replied. “She’s become to trigger happy and just throws cation to the wind. She needs to learn. Why were you talking to her anyways?”

“Oh I was asking if she’d be willing to train me more,” I said.

“If you want training you could always ask me you know,” Ryan pointed out.

“Yeah but you always seem so busy,” I shrugged. “I just don’t want to add anything else on that.”

“Hey,” Ryan looked over at me. “I am never too busy for you. Got it?”

“Got it,” I nodded. “So what’s the plan now?”

“Plan?”

“Well, you just stole something to make a lot of money,” I said. “Sure it was mostly for paychecks but there’s gotta be something else.”

“You’re right,” Ryan grinned. “A lot of that money went into planning the biggest heist of them all.”

“Oh really?” I asked.

“Mmhmm,” Ryan said. “I want to show Geoff just who’s boss around here.”

“Ryan…” I looked over at him. “You’re not…you’re going to rob him aren’t you?”

“Of everything he’s got,” Ryan nodded. “Word is he keeps a safe stuffed with cash in his safe house but he doesn’t keep the closest of eyes on it.”

“How much money?”

“Around a few billion,” Ryan replied.

“He keeps all of that in a safe?” I asked, shocked. “And doesn’t have people look after it?”

“Nope,” Ryan shook his head, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “He also keeps some jewels in there. He robbed a jewelry store a few years back and cleaned them out but he kept some of the bigger rocks, as a precaution.”

“And you’re just going for that, right?”

“Nope,” Ryan shook his head again. “I’m also going to take every weapon he has.”

“Jesus Ryan, you really want to piss him off,” I breathed.

“I want the clothes off his fucking back,” Ryan growled.

“What happened?”

“Nothing,” he shrugged. “I’m just getting tired of all the threats. He needs to back off and the only way he will is if he sees I’m better than him.”

“Please don’t go and get yourself killed,” I groaned.

“I’ll be fine!” Ryan insisted. “He isn’t the first guy I’ve destroyed and he won’t be the last.”

 

Ryan planned to do the heist a few days later. Geoff was apparently out of town for business and had left his third in command running the place. Ryan practically ordered me to stay in the house until he came home. I wasn’t happy with it but I did as I was told. He kissed my forehead and promised to be back after midnight. I sighed as I watched him head down the driveway and decided to busy myself by making dinner. As I got some water on to boil for pasta, someone knocked at the door.

I crept quietly to the door and looked through the little peephole, seeing Ana there. I opened the door and let her in. She was wearing a black leather jacket, a flowy black shirt with a skull on it and dark jeans with ripped legs. She was also sporting some cool looking combat boots too.

“Hey girl!” She greeted. “Ryan here?”

“No, he went out of the night,” I replied. “Something to do with work.”

“Oh well that’s good,” Ana said. “We haven’t had any us time in a while. I brought some movies over and I was thinking we could order a pizza.”

“I was about to make pasta,” I said.

“That’s just as good!” Ana smiled. I smiled back and we headed into the kitchen so I could check on the water. “So…this work problem Ryan had to go to…it wouldn’t happen to be related to him trying to rob Geoff…would it?” I froze, my back turned to her.

“Geoff? Who’s that?” I lied. Apparently I wasn’t a good actress though.

“Oh come on Amy,” Ana said in a sickly sweet voice. “I know you aren’t that dumb. You know who Ryan really is.”

“Ana really, I have no idea what you’re tal-” I had turned around to face her, but froze again as I stared into the barrel of a gun.

“Amy, Amy, Amy,” Ana tsked. “This could be easy. This could be extremely easy. All Geoff wants is a bit of information and we’ll leave you alone. It’s Ryan he really wants.”

“You’re part of his crew, huh?” I asked. “How long?”

“Few years,” Ana shrugged. “Imagine my surprise when our number one most wanted enemy started taking care of my best friend. I mean, it was way too easy to pretend that I had some stupid crush on him.”

“So all of it was an act?” I couldn’t stop staring at the gun but I had to look her in the eye. “Our friendship? The feelings towards him? I had your wedding planned out.”

“Oh no, our friendship was real,” Ana lowered the gun. “I really do like you and I think the two of us could be a force to reckon with, once you get trained a bit.”

“What are you guys planning on doing to Ryan?” I asked in a small voice.

“Whatever Geoff wants,” Ana shrugged. My hand grabbed a knife that I had gotten out and I lunged at Ana, jamming it in her leg. “OW JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!” She dropped the gun and grabbed her leg. I ran past her, swiping up the gun and headed up stairs. “AMY! GET THE FUCK BACK HERE!” Ana called after me. I headed to my room and shut the door, pushing the bed and the dresser against it to keep it closed. I heard Ana run up the stairs and start throwing herself against the door as I backed up into a corner of the room and pointed the gun at the door. Every time her body slammed against it I winced.

_Ryan, please come home soon._

 

They had gotten everything they could without a problem. They were all back at the warehouse, everyone celebrating a successful job but Ryan couldn’t help but feel uneasy. He didn’t know why. He tried calling Amelia but there was no answer on her cell or the house phone. He gave up and decided to head up there to check on her.

“Max!” He called. She came running over.

“What’s up boss?” She asked.

“Come with me,” Ryan ordered. “Something doesn’t feel right.” They drove up to his house and went inside. “Amelia!” Ryan called. No answer. He started searching the house for her.

“Boss!” Max yelled. He followed her voice to the kitchen and saw blood on the floor.

“Oh god…” Ryan leaned against the wall for a second before shaking his head and heading upstairs. Amelia’s door was busted open and the room was a complete mess.

“Oh my god,” Max went inside the room and started looking around.

“Call the others,” Ryan said. “We need to find out who did this.”

“I think I already know, sir,” Max said. She pointed to the mirror above Amelia’s dresser.

“ _Let’s Talk. Tonight, my place. Love, Geoff.”_

“That fuck,” Ryan whispered. “Get the others here now. We’re going to pay my old friend a little visit.”


	8. Kidnapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia wakes up in a room. She doesn't know where she is. Her only hope is that Ryan will find her in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY!!!! A lot of things have happened since I last updated and I just did not find it in me to continue. But now here is Chapter 8!

I couldn’t see anything. My head hurt like crazy and I knew I was tied to a chair but I had no idea where I was. Ana had called for backup and some big guys had broken my bedroom door down.  I had tried fighting them off but it was no use. One of them got a good punch in and it was lights out for me. Now, I was blindfolded and someplace I knew I shouldn’t be.  I didn’t know how much time had passed, if Ryan had gone home yet and seen what happened or if he was still at the warehouse. I tried to keep panic from rising because I knew he’d come and find me. He had to. 

I heard a door open and footsteps come towards me. The blindfold was taken off and I squinted my eyes against the light as I looked around the room. It was plain, no windows or any other furniture. Just the one door and the chair I was sitting on. There was a man in front of me. He had black hair and a handlebar moustache. A tattoo of green and black was on his hand but I couldn’t make out what it was. He wore a black suit and I could see the outline of a gun through the jacket.

“So,” he began. “This is Ryan’s little girl.” I refused to break eye contact with him. I couldn’t show any signs of fear. He’d use it against me. “I’m surprised at how well he hid you. Until, of course, Ana found out. She’s such a great actress, isn’t she? Had you fooled for years! Not even Ryan could tell it was all fake and he went on a date with her! How funny is that?” I didn’t reply. I made sure my face stayed neutral. I couldn’t give this guy an inch. He cocked his head to one side and started walking around me, examining me.

“It’s a shame, really,” he started up again. “I don’t like senseless murder. I’ve got a two-year streak going and I don’t wish to ruin it. But I’m willing to do anything to get what I want. So, here’s how it’s going to play out, _Amelia._ You’re going to tell me what I want,” he faced me again and got down on one knee so we were eye level. “And I’ll let you live. Fail to do so and Ryan is going to have a nice little surprise waiting for him.”

“It was a set up, wasn’t it?” I finally cracked. “You wanted him to rob you so he’d leave me alone. I’m your ticket.”

“She talks! And she’s smart! I take it you’ve already guessed who I am then,” he stood up and gave a little bow. “Geoff Ramsey, leader of the Fake AH Crew, at your service. It’s so nice to make your acquaintance, dear. Although the circumstances could be more ideal.”

“Why not just follow him or lay a trap down instead of going through all this?” I asked.

“Because I like the chase sometimes. Ryan has given me the slip for a very long time now and has caused me way too much grief. So, I figured the best way was to make him believe he had the upper hand before completely destroying everything he’s built for himself. Plus, this gives me a chance to avenge your parents.” That made me pause for a moment. My parents?

“What do you mean?” I demanded.

“Oh, you don’t know?” Geoff asked. “I thought he would have told you by now. It’s a real shame, what happened to them. Such potential. But at least we got something else out of it.” Geoff went to the door and opened it. A man stood on the other side. I blinked, making sure her mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. The man…looked like me. The same hair, the same eyes...his face was so like mine.

“Who is this?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“Amelia Lyn Jones, I’d like to introduce you to your brother Michael.”

 

 

Ryan paced the room as the others tried to figure out the best way to do this. He couldn’t think. All he could do was feel white hot rage boil through him. Amelia, his Amelia, was in the hands of that monster. Ryan couldn’t imagine how scared she must be.

“I say we just go in there, guns at the ready, and take down whoever stands in our way!” Mac yelled so he could be heard. “They took one of our own!”

“We’ll lose just as many people,” Max shook her head. “No, we need to think about this logically. Coming from a place they won’t expect is our best option.”

“They’ll have thought over every scenario,” someone else piped up. “We can’t surprise them. They’ve been planning this for a long time.”

“Boss?” Everyone turned to Ryan who had stopped pacing and was just staring out the window.

“They want me,” Ryan said. “They took her because they want me.” He turned to the others, his eyes passing over all of them. “I’m only taking two of you with me. The rest will wait farther out. Our first objective is to make sure Amelia gets out safe. After that…Mac is right. Just go in with your guns ready. This is now an all our war between us.” Everyone looked solemnly at Ryan and nodded. They knew this day had been coming. They were ready. Ryan turned back to the window as the others started getting ready. _I’m coming Amelia,_ Ryan thought. He just hoped he wasn’t too late.

 

I looked between Geoff and Michael, waiting for the punch line. This had to be a joke. I had no family. Ryan was my only family.

“You’re lying,” I finally said. He had to be. He just wanted to confuse me, that’s all.

“No, I’m not. You can see it, can’t you? The family resemblance?” Geoff motioned Michael to come farther into the room. “Haven’t you ever wondered what happened to your family? Your parents? How exactly you ended up with Ryan?” I shook my head. “Well, I’ll leave Michael here to explain all of that then. You two need some brother sister bonding time.” With that, Geoff left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with Michael.

“Well this is awkward,” I said, breaking the silence.

“I can’t believe…it’s really _you._ ” Michael stepped closer to me, his hand outstretched a bit. “My sister.”

“Hey, slow down there buddy,” I scoffed. “I’m still trying to decide if that knock to my head did actual damage.”

“What, do you need an actual blood test to prove it? We’re fucking family! You’re my baby sister! I remember the day you were born!” Anger suddenly flooded his features and I winced. “And then that fucker came and ruined everything.”

“You mean Ryan?”

“Yeah, that asshole. He destroyed our family,” Michael spat.

“I don’t understand,” I shook my head. “What did he do?” Michael’s face softened a bit as looked back at me.

“When you were just a baby, Ryan hired our parents to do a job for him. When Geoff found out, he paid them double what Ryan did to hand him over. Ryan didn’t take too kindly to that so he…” Michael sighed. “I was over at a friend’s house that night. I shouldn’t have gone. Maybe I could have saved you.”

“What did Ryan do?” I asked again, my teeth clenched.

“He killed them,” Michael replied. “In cold blood. Then he took you. I don’t know why but he did.” Hope suddenly dawned his features and he kneeled down in front of me. “But now you’re here! We’re together! You don’t have to go back to that place anymore. Geoff will take care of Ryan and we won’t have to worry about him anymore!”

“Ryan…killed them?” I went numb for a moment, trying to process this. Ryan was the one who took my parents away. Not only from me but from Michael apparently. Ryan, who has always made me feel so safe…Then again, I thought Ana was my friend but that didn’t turn out to be true. Apparently, everyone has been lying to me. What a world.

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” Michael said softly. “That bastard should have had the guts to tell you himself. But he is a monster and he needs to be stopped.”

“No…” I spoke softly, barely above a whisper and Michael had to lean closer.

“What did you just say?”

“I said no,” I looked him dead in the eye, anger burning in me. “You are not my family. Ryan is my family. Whatever he did back then…it’s in the past. I will not help you or Geoff. Kill me if you have to, I don’t care.” With that, I looked away from him. I heard Michael’s intake of breath and a few seconds later the door slammed behind him. There was some yelling outside and the door opened again but I refused to look towards it.

“So, you choose his side till the end?” Geoff’s voice sounded emotionless. “I reunite you with your brother and this is the thanks I get?”

“He’s not my brother,” I replied stiffly. “You didn’t factor in that I might not care about what happened or who he was.” Geoff was silent for a moment as he contemplated this.

“Yes, I did think the news would distraught you to the point where your hatred of Ryan would give us what we needed,” he sighed. “You really are his protégée. Heartless and cold. Well, no matter. In a few hours Ryan will be here and we can end this game. And then, my dear, we’ll deal with you.” He left after that and I was alone with my thoughts. I had no way to escape and I could only assume if I did, the door would be locked or there were guards posted outside. I was doomed. And so was Ryan.


End file.
